Bruni’s Take on the Third GOP Debate

“Ben Carson and Donald Trump Lack Electricity in a Charged Debate,” by Frank Bruni of The New York Times. Published on October 28, 2015.

In Frank Bruni’s latest post, he uses sarcastic humor to convey his side of the third Republican debate that recently aired on CNBC. However, after reading the article, I found that while Bruni maintained a steady focus on the silence held through Donald Trump and Ben Carson during the debate,  he additionally pointed out the hilarious behaviors of each candidate, especially of the brawl between Bush and Rubio. Bruni uses pathos through imagery,  “Trump without attention is like a petunia without water and light. It fades. It droops.” As you can see, in this sentence, Bruni humorously pictures Trump as a dying flower, prompting humor in the reader’s mind. I found it funny how in the middle of the article, Bruni added a note to Rubio’s (“someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.”) fireback aimed towards Jeb Bush in a feud, “Translation: Your desperation is showing.” Though I have determined that Bruni appeals towards a liberal-minded audience (with me part of it), this comment feels sassy and able to be laughed at. The next, reinforced use of humor arises when Ted Cruz is mentioned, which we know should be well thought out since one of Bruni’s recent articles was solely centered on the Texan senator.

“‘If you want someone to grab a beer with, I may not be that guy,’ he said. ‘But if you want someone to drive you home, I will get the job done and I will get you home.’ He left out the part where you bolt out of the passenger seat and away from him the minute your front door is in sight.”

In conclusion, even though Bruni’s original argument sways away, the article proves to be a comical and hilarious collage of the foils of each GOP candidate [as Bruni views it].